| Dutch police question suspect in stabbings of 2 Americans Posted: 02 Sep 2018 09:43 AM PDT  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The U.S. State Department offered help Sunday to investigators in the Netherlands who are treating the stabbings of two American tourists at Amsterdam's main railway station as a possible extremist attack.
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| Firefighters Battle Huge Fire at 200-Year-Old National Museum in Rio De Janeiro Posted: 02 Sep 2018 06:55 PM PDT  Nobody was injured and the fire began after the museum had closed for the day
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| China raises fears of 'new colonialism' with $60 billion investment across Africa Posted: 03 Sep 2018 10:38 AM PDT  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday pledged $60 billion in financing for projects in Africa in the form of assistance, investment and loans, as China furthers efforts to link the continent's economic prospects to its own. Speaking to a gathering of African leaders in Beijing, Mr Xi said the figure includes $15 billion in grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans, $20 billion in credit lines, $10 billion for "development financing" and $5 billion to buy imports from Africa. In addition, he said China will encourage companies to invest at least $10 billion in Africa over the next three years. China's outreach to Africa aims to build trade, investment and political ties with a continent often seen as overlooked by the US and other Western nations. That has provided lucrative opportunities for Chinese businesses, while African nations are often happy to accept China's offers that come without demands for safeguards against corruption, waste and environmental damage. President Xi told African leaders that China's investments on the continent have "no political strings attached" Credit: AFP China has denied engaging in "debt trap" diplomacy, and Mr Xi's offer of more money comes after a pledge of another $60 billion at the previous summit in South Africa three years ago. Mr Xi earlier said the money came with "no political strings attached". No details were given on specific projects, although Mr Xi said China was planning initiatives in eight areas, including providing $147 million in emergency food aid, sending 500 agricultural experts to Africa, and providing scholarships, vocational training and trade promotion opportunities. During a speech at the summit South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday delivered a stinging rebuttal to criticism of China's development aid in Africa. Mr Ramaphosa said the meeting "refutes the view that a new colonialism is taking hold in Africa, as our detractors would have us believe". China's latest pledge comes on top of a 2015 promise to provide African countries with $60 billion in funding that Mr Xi said had either been delivered or arranged. Also Monday, Mr Xi promoted Beijing's initiative to build ports and other infrastructure as a tool for "common prosperity" in a world facing challenges from trade protectionism. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected charges of a "new colonialism" Credit: Getty Addressing businesspeople prior to the formal opening of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Mr Xi said the "Belt and Road" initiative will expand markets. He tried to mollify concern that Beijing wants to build strategic influence, promising Chinese investment comes with "no political strings attached." "Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise. Economic growth lacks robust drive," Mr Xi said in a speech. "China-Africa cooperation under the BRI is a way to common prosperity that brings benefits to both our peoples." African and other Asian leaders have welcomed "Belt and Road" but some projects have prompted complaints about debt and other problems. The initiative involves hundreds of projects, most of them built by Chinese contractors and financed by loans from Chinese state-owned banks, across an arc of 65 countries from the South Pacific through Asia to Africa and the Middle East. In a major blow to China's ambitions, Malaysia recently canceled Chinese-financed projects worth more than $20 billion, saying they were unnecessary and would create an unsustainable debt burden. Deeply indebted Pakistan is also reportedly reconsidering some projects in the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that is a key link in the BRI. The Beijing forum brings together leaders from China and more than 50 African countries. Dozens of African leaders met with Mr Xi ahead of the conference. Mr Xi made no mention of the political and debt concerns that overshadow some BRI projects. But Chinese officials previously have rejected accusations that projects leave host countries too deeply indebted to Chinese lenders. "China's investment in Africa comes with no political strings attached," Mr Xi said. "China does not interfere in Africa's internal affairs and does not impose its own will on Africa."
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| 18 injured in German rival protests over migrants Posted: 02 Sep 2018 08:23 AM PDT  Eighteen people were injured in rival demonstrations capping off a week marked by xenophobic protests in the eastern city of Chemnitz, prompting Germany's foreign minister to urge Germans to "get off our sofas" and speak up against racism. Chemnitz has been in the spotlight after violent far-right protests erupted over the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old man, allegedly by a Syrian and an Iraqi last Sunday. On Saturday, 8,000 people answered a joint call by far-right party AfD and Islamophobic PEGIDA street movement to descend once again on the streets of the former communist city which was in the erstwhile East Germany.
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| Cherry Tomato Confit Is The Best Recipe You'll Make All Summer Posted: 03 Sep 2018 02:45 AM PDT  The origin story of this recipe is simple: I made it to prevent my family from
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| San Bernardino shooting: Eight people shot at California apartment complex Posted: 03 Sep 2018 09:35 AM PDT  Eight people have been shot in a mass shooting at an apartment complex in San Bernardino, California, police have said. Captain Richard Lawhead said multiple weapons were fired in what police believe was an exchange of gunfire. Detectives do not have a motive for the shooting.
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| Militants must be 'cleaned out' of Syria's Idlib, Iran says Posted: 03 Sep 2018 09:21 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Iran called on Monday for militants to be "cleaned out" of Syria's Idlib province, as it prepared for talks with Syria and Russia about confronting the last major enclave held by rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian government forces are planning a phased offensive in Idlib and surrounding areas held by insurgents fighting Assad, who has been backed by both Russian and Iranian forces in the country's conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Washington views any government assault on Idlib as an escalation of Syria's war, and the State Department warned that Washington would respond to any chemical attack by Damascus.
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| Archbishop asks pope to cancel conference on youth Posted: 02 Sep 2018 08:06 AM PDT ![Archbishop asks pope to cancel conference on youth]( "Archbishop asks pope to cancel conference on youth") PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The archbishop of Philadelphia has asked Pope Francis to cancel a bishops' conference focusing on youth in the wake of the child sex abuse crisis roiling the Catholic Church.
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| Weekend Rewind: John McCain's funeral service Posted: 03 Sep 2018 02:07 AM PDT  Former presidents and family delivered poignant final words as Sen. John McCain was laid to rest.
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| Russian state television introduces weekly show in praise of Vladimir Putin Posted: 03 Sep 2018 08:32 AM PDT  A weekly show glorifying Vladimir Putin's political acumen, physical fitness and love of children has made its debut on Russian state television, raising concerns of a Stalinesque "personality cult". The hour-long show, titled "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin.," comes after the president's popularity took a hit over an widely loathed plan to raise the pension age. Hosted by Vladimir Soloviev, a TV and radio personality who previously authored documentary films and books about Mr Putin, the first broadcast began with footage of the leader hiking on a holiday in Siberia, meeting with schoolchildren and paying respects to a well-known singer who died last week. "Putin doesn't just love children, he loves people. He's a very humane human," the Kremlin spokesman told Mr Soloviev, echoing a famous quote calling Vladimir Lenin the "most humane human". The programme also showed Mr Putin meeting with talented schoolchildren, but did not mention that one of them was wearing a t-shirt with the name of his main critic Credit: YouTube The show claimed that Mr Putin had travelled more than 5,000 miles across Russia for work in the past week, wondering how he "keeps up with such a marathon". It later answered its own question with a segment on the president's five-mile hike in mountainous Siberia and details of his daily swimming and weight-lifting routines. The programme also recycled old PR stunts such as footage of him descending into a nickel mine in Norilsk in 2002. But the "main topic" of the week, it said, was a televised address in which Mr Putin softened pension reform that has sparked protests. Nearly nine in 10 Russians oppose the plan. His approval rating tumbled from 79 to 67 per cent after the planned reform was announced, and the communist party rallied some 9,000 demonstrators against the measure in Moscow this weekend. A sign with the words 'pension reform' at a protest in Moscow on Sunday Credit: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was suddenly jailed last week for previous demonstrations, has been calling for a pension protest across Russia this coming Sunday. In the address, Mr Putin said the retirement age for women would be only be raised five years to 60 rather than to 63. The age for men will still be hiked to 65, however, a year less than their average life expectancy. Russian state television features fawning coverage of the president nearly every day, and Mr Putin is well-known for shirtless photographs and macho exploits like tranquilising tigers, flying in fighter jets and scoring seven goals in a birthday hockey game. But "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin." has taken the adulation to new heights. Mr Putin is known for his macho stunts and shirtless photographs, such as this picture of him fishing in Siberia in 2017 Credit: Alexey Nikolsky/AFP An article on the independent news site Znak compared it to the Soviet propaganda that trumpeted the achievements of leaders like Mr Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev. "This wasn't surprising, of course, but it should be somehow documented that in September 2018 we've returned to the personality cult," journalist Ilya Barabanov tweeted about the show, which he described as a "stomach balloon" after the inflatable weight-loss device. Stalin's infamous personality cult was denounced by his successor Nikita Khrushchev, and later leaders have been wary of emulating it. The figure of Mr Putin was removed from a statue ensemble just before it was unveiled in the Kurgan region in May, reportedly on orders from the Kremlin. Mr Putin goes boating with defence minister Sergei Shoigu in footage shown on the new programme Credit: YouTube More laughs at the new show's expense came when it emerged that one of the kids had worn a Navalny shirt during Mr Putin's visit with talented schoolchildren, which was not reflected on television but slipped into a photograph published on the Kremlin website. Although the younger generation tends to get its news from the Internet, television remains the main source of information for a majority of the population.
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| Tech billionaire returns to China after US arrest Posted: 02 Sep 2018 05:14 PM PDT  Tech billionaire and JD.com founder Richard Liu has returned to China, the company said Monday, following a brief arrest in the US over allegations of criminal sexual conduct. JD.com, the company which Liu founded in 1998, is an e-commerce juggernaut in China and the main competitor to industry leader Alibaba. Liu, also known by his Chinese name Liu Qiangdong, was arrested over the misconduct allegations late Friday and released Saturday afternoon in the midwestern US city of Minneapolis, records from Hennepin County Jail showed.
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| Beto O'Rourke's Path To Victory Runs Along The Border Posted: 01 Sep 2018 06:16 PM PDT  McALLEN, Texas -- By the time Beto O'Rourke arrived at the historic Cine El
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| Tearful mourners line up to bid farewell to east Ukraine rebel chief Posted: 02 Sep 2018 07:55 AM PDT  The funeral in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk of a pro-Russian rebel leader killed in an explosion last week drew vast crowds of mourners on Sunday, Reuters footage from the breakaway region showed. Alexander Zakharchenko was fatally injured in an explosion in a cafe in Donetsk on Friday. Russia's foreign ministry accused Ukraine of his murder, while Kiev blamed his death on separatist infighting.
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| Twitter Users Shred Trump For Attacking Union Leader Richard Trumka On Labor Day Posted: 03 Sep 2018 09:55 AM PDT  President Donald Trump took time on Labor Day to attack one of the country's
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| Under-attack Pope calls for 'silence and prayer' Posted: 03 Sep 2018 07:04 AM PDT  Pope Francis on Monday said "silence and prayer" were the answer to those seeking "scandal and division", amid a barrage of attacks from ultra-conservative Catholics. "With people who lack goodwill, with people who seek only scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within the family: (there is nothing but) silence. Among some ultra-conservative Catholics, the pope is regarded as a dangerous progressive who is more interested in social issues than traditional Church matters.
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| Fire rips through 200-year-old Rio de Janeiro museum in 'sad day for all Brazilians' Posted: 02 Sep 2018 06:47 PM PDT  A massive fire tore through a 200-year-old museum in Rio de Janeiro late on Sunday, lighting up the night and sending large plumes of smoke into the air. Firefighters worked to put out the blaze at the esteemed National Museum in northern Rio, which houses artefacts from Egypt, Greco-Roman art and some of the first fossils found in Brazil. It wasn't clear how the fire began in the institution, which is one of Latin America's largest natural history museums. News portal G1, citing the museum, reported that nobody was injured and the fire began after the museum had closed for the day. Sgt. Moises Torres from the state's firefighting headquarters said firefighters got the call and were dispatched at 7.30pm. He said there was no immediate information about injuries. Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro Credit: Reuters In a statement, President Michel Temer said it was "a sad day for all Brazilians." "Two hundred years of work, investigation and knowledge have been lost," said Temer. In an interview with Brazil's TV Globo, the museum's director said it was a "cultural tragedy". People rescue items during a fire at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro Credit: Reuters According to the museum's website, it has more than 20,000 items related to the history of Brazil and other countries, and that many of its collections came from members of Brazil's royal family. Connected to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the museum has expositions that include anthropology, archaeology and paleontology, among others. A fire burns at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro Credit: Reuters The vice director of the museum, Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte, told Globo news the museum suffered chronic underfunding. "Everybody wants to be supportive now. We never had adequate support," he said. According to the museum's website, many of its collections came from members of Brazil's royal family.
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| Woman With Baby in Car Leads Cops on High-Speed Chase Before Crashing: Cops Posted: 03 Sep 2018 08:31 AM PDT  Caitlyn Rodriguez, 29, allegedly fled during a traffic stop after her Mercedes SUV was pulled over by a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety on June 15.
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| IKEA apologizes after customer reports caterpillar in his food Posted: 03 Sep 2018 04:35 AM PDT  (Reuters) - IKEA has issued an apology to a customer in the Indian city of Hyderabad after he reported finding a caterpillar in his food at the store and posted a photograph of it on Twitter. Abeed Mohammad posted the picture on Twitter on Friday and Indian media reported that the city's food safety officials conducted a raid at the company's store. Officials from Hyderabad's civic body inspected the premises of IKEA and confiscated food samples, the Hindu newspaper reported over the weekend http://bit.ly/2LSI2LD.
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| Putin, Erdogan, Rohani to hold Syria talks Friday: Kremlin Posted: 03 Sep 2018 07:17 AM PDT  The Kremlin on Monday said the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey would on Friday hold a tripartite summit in Iran seeking an end to the Syrian conflict. In a statement confirming the date of September 7 that was reported earlier by Turkish media, the Kremlin said Putin would "make a working visit to Iran" for the talks.
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| Roseanne Barr Says She’s Moving To Israel When ‘The Conners’ Premieres Posted: 03 Sep 2018 11:37 AM PDT  Roseanne Barr isn't going to be around when "The Conners" premieres this fall.
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| Israeli farmers to file war crimes complaint against Hamas Posted: 03 Sep 2018 03:32 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (AP) — A group of Israeli farmers is filing a war crimes complaint at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday against Hamas over the torching of thousands of acres of farmland in recent months.
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| Mourners line streets to say goodbye to John McCain Posted: 02 Sep 2018 02:17 PM PDT  John McCain, the veteran senator who emerged as the most visible Republican critic of Donald Trump, was laid to rest at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, after a private ceremony on Sunday. Four naval jets performed an aerial salute with a single F-18 fighter peeling off into the sun as part of the missing man formation. The funeral concluded a week of memorials for McCain, who died on August 25, at the age of 81, from brain cancer. He trained at the naval academy, graduating in 1958, before serving in Vietnam as a fighter pilot. A horse-drawn caisson carrying the senator's casket led a procession of mourners from the academy's chapel to its cemetery following a private service. Family and friends join a procession behind McCain's casket Credit: Mary Calvert/Reuters The senator's widow, Cindy, and his children were among those who walked behind the casket. Joining them were family and friends as well as members of McCain's class of 1958, military leaders and academy midshipmen. Prominent political leaders gathered a day earlier to remember the Arizona senator at the Washington National Cathedral People watch as the casket of John McCain is taken to the US Naval Academy Credit: Susan Walsh/AP Two former presidents were among those to offer tributes, which included a string of references to his ability to bridge rivalries in a reminder that the country is currently led by a president known for a brash brand of divisive politics. His daughter, Meghan McCain, offered the bluntest attack on Mr Trump, who had had mocked her father's Vietnam record as a prisoner of war. "The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great," she declared with a steely glint in her eye. Mccain obit On Sunday, McCain was buried beside his classmate, Admiral Chuck Larson, who had reserved four burial plots for the two friends and his wife. "Chuck has his wingman back now," Sarah Larson, the late admiral's wife, told CNN.
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| Breathtaking images celebrate the world's best destination wedding photography Posted: 03 Sep 2018 05:50 AM PDT ![Breathtaking images celebrate the world's best destination wedding photography]( "Breathtaking images celebrate the world's best destination wedding photography") These breathtaking images have been selected as the best of the best when it comes to destination wedding photography around the world. The shots were taken in a variety of stunning locations, from the tops of mountains to sites overlooking lakes, and they use the likes of New York City and the Milky Way as glittering backdrops. In other images, newlywed couples can be seen embracing in fields in full bloom, reflected in salt flats, and kissing underwater. (Caters News)
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| Nebraska Catholic diocese rocked by old abuse allegations Posted: 02 Sep 2018 06:06 PM PDT  For more than a decade, a conservative Catholic diocese was the only church in the U.S. that refused annual reviews of sexual misconduct.
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| Georgia Police Rescue Woman From Burning Home in Dramatic Bodycam Video Posted: 02 Sep 2018 06:19 AM PDT  Her Savannah home was ablaze.
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| Japan to halt Iran oil imports under US pressure: reports Posted: 02 Sep 2018 07:55 PM PDT  Japan's major oil wholesalers are preparing to suspend crude oil imports from Iran in October, amid fears Washington will sanction countries importing Iranian crude, local media reported. US President Donald Trump in May pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and last month began reimposing sanctions that block other countries from trading with Iran.
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| 9 injured, 4 missing as boats collide on Colorado River Posted: 03 Sep 2018 03:08 AM PDT  The two vessels collided head on at about 8 p.m. local time between Pirate Cove and the Topock Marina, north of Lake Havasu near the Moabi Regional Park, a recreational area on the Colorado River.
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| Burma jails two Reuters journalists for seven years amid international outrage Posted: 02 Sep 2018 09:41 PM PDT  Jeremy Hunt, the British Foreign Secretary, on Monday vowed to champion the cause of two Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting of the Rohingya crisis, in a case that has been denounced as a new low for press freedom in Burma. A Burmese court sentenced Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, to seven years in prison for breaching a law on state secrets while they were investigating the mass murder of ten Rohingya men. The Foreign Secretary added his protest to global condemnation of the ruling - the latest in a long series of human rights abuses in Burma to undermine the reputation of Nobel Peace laureate and civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. "Imprisoning journalists who write about inconvenient truths is an unconscionable blow to press freedom, and indeed everyone's freedom. Will be raising the extremely serious case of the two Reuters journalists on my forthcoming visit to Burma (Myanmar)", Mr Hunt said on Twitter. The two journalists had pleaded not guilty to violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. They protested that they were framed by police while investigating allegations of the massacre of a group of Rohingya men by the military. As they were led to a police van in handcuffs after, Wa Lone shouted: "I have no fear. I have not done anything wrong. I believe in justice, democracy and freedom." Their sentencing falls just one week after the publication of a blistering report by a UN fact-finding mission that called for Burma's top military generals to be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in Rakhine State, home of the Rohingya minority. Burma rejects the charges. Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's civilian leader and former global human rights heroine, was singled out by UN investigators for failing to use her "moral authority" to stop the military's extreme violence against the Rohingya, which has caused more than 700,000 to flee their homes. Reuters journalist Wa Lone departs Insein court after his verdict announcement in Yangon Credit: Reuters Monday's conviction of the journalists seeking to expose military atrocities against the Muslim minority dealt another blow to hopes that her election to government after years of house arrest would herald an accelerated transition to full democracy from military rule. Stephen Adler, editor-in-chief at Reuters, denounced the verdict as "a sad day for Myanmar, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the press everywhere," adding that the "false charges" had been designed to "silence their reporting and intimidate the press." In a statement, he added: "This is a major step backward in Myanmar's transition to democracy, cannot be squared with the rule of law or freedom of speech, and must be corrected by the Myanmar government as a matter of urgency." The two journalists were arrested in December while reporting on the mass killing of ten Rohingya Muslim men in the village of Inn Din, Rakhine state, last September. Burmese journalist Kyaw Soe Oo is escorted by police after being sentenced by a court to jail in Yangon Credit: AFP Seven Burmese soldiers have since been sentenced to ten years of hard labour for their role in "contributing and participating in murder." The trial of the reporters who exposed the crime, and who both testified that they suffered from harsh treatment during their initial interrogations, has drawn widespread condemnation from the US, United Nations and wider international community. Their several appeals for release on bail were rejected, and during his detention Wa Lone missed the birth of his first child, a daughter named Thet Htar Angel. Kyaw Soe Oo also has a three-year-old daughter, Moe Thin Wai Zan. "What happened today threatens to undermine the rule of law and freedom of press that democracy requires," said Kevin Krolicki, Reuters' regional editor for Asia. He called the verdict "heartbreaking." Human Rights Watch condemned the "politically-motivated" charges as a return to the media repression seen during military rule. No words for this outrageous injustice against @Reuters reporters Wa Lone & Kyaw Soe Oo. How can #Myanmar judicial system justify sending reporters doing their job to a longer prison sentence than the #Tatmadaw soldiers who killed the 10 #Rohingya in their story in cold blood? pic.twitter.com/lI2Qp0k6ub— Phil Robertson (@Reaproy) September 3, 2018 "The outrageous convictions of the Reuters journalists show Myanmar courts' willingness to muzzle those reporting on military atrocities," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "These sentences mark a new low for press freedom and further backsliding on rights under Aung San Suu Kyi's government." During eight months of hearings, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo testified that two police officers they had not met before handed them papers rolled up inside a newspaper during a meeting at a Yangon restaurant on 12 December. Almost immediately afterwards, they said, they were bundled into a car by plainclothes officers. In April a police captain, Moe Yan Naing, testified that a senior officer had ordered his subordinates to plant secret documents on Wa Lone to "trap" the reporter. Other police witnesses have told court that the reporters had been searched at a routine traffic stop by officers who were unaware they were journalists and found to be holding secret documents from an unknown source. The prosecution's case was marked by inconsistencies and irregularities, including conflicting official accounts and evidence of police misconduct, Human Rights Watch said. Attacks on free speech had intensified over the past two years, the group added, pointing to a slew of repressive laws that had been increasingly used to silence journalists and activists for perceived criticism of the government or military. Chit Su Win, (2nd-R), wife of jailed @Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo, sobs with family members as their daughter Mar Mar Latt (L) looks on. She won't see her father come home for seven years#Myanmar#Journalismisnotacrimepic.twitter.com/qgjrroIwcV— Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) September 3, 2018 "These convictions won't hide the horrors against the Rohingya from the world – they merely reveal the precarious state of free speech in the country and the urgent need for international action to free these journalists," said Mr Adams. Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International's Director of Crisis Response, demanded that the convictions be quashed and the men unconditionally released. The judgement sent "a stark warning to other journalists in the country of the severe consequences that await should they look too closely at military abuses. This amounts to censorship through fear," she said. "Today's verdict cannot conceal the truth of what happened in Rakhine State. It's thanks to the bravery of journalists like Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, that the military's atrocities have been exposed. Instead of targeting these two journalists, the Myanmar authorities should have been going after those responsible for killings, rape, torture and the torching of hundreds of Rohingya villages." Reuters has said it will contest the decision. "We will not wait while Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo suffer this injustice and will evaluate how to proceed in the coming days, including whether to seek relief in an international forum," said Mr Adler.
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| US general assumes NATO command in Afghanistan Posted: 02 Sep 2018 08:50 AM PDT  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Army Gen. Austin Scott Miller assumed command of the 41-nation NATO mission in Afghanistan in a handover ceremony on Sunday.
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| Sanofi wins European approval for rare blood-clotting disorder treatment Posted: 02 Sep 2018 10:47 PM PDT ![Sanofi wins European approval for rare blood-clotting disorder treatment]( "Sanofi wins European approval for rare blood-clotting disorder treatment") French drugmaker Sanofi on Monday said it had secured approval in Europe for a rare blood-clotting disorder treatment using nanobodies. The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in June had recommended the approval of caplacizumab, which is to be prescribed to adults suffering acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP). The U.S Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which has granted the drug a 'Fast Track' designation, is expected to follow suit in early 2019.
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| On labor holiday, Trump jabs union head over NAFTA remarks Posted: 02 Sep 2018 05:14 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump took a crack Monday at the head of the nation's largest federation of labor unions on the US Labor Day holiday after the workers' advocate criticized his threat to exclude Canada from a new NAFTA deal. "We've been aggressively pursuing an agreement that works for the workers in all three countries and I can say we're not done yet," Trumka told the Fox network, a favorite among Trump's base.
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| Arrest warrant issued for man in murder of wife, Amber Alert for 2 missing sons Posted: 03 Sep 2018 04:46 AM PDT  An Amber Alert was issued for Jonathan and Victor Coronado Nunez, ages 5 and 8, on Saturday.
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| Father-Son Duo Bikes From Canada to Coney Island to Support Autism Organizations Posted: 02 Sep 2018 10:24 AM PDT  Ten-year-old James Potvin and his father, Chris, rode over 600 miles.
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| Is the 'realistic' beauty campaign about to get its big break? Posted: 03 Sep 2018 03:31 AM PDT  It is a truth universally acknowledged that the dreaded pore, like zits or stray hairs, is far from welcome when it comes to major beauty campaigns. The image was subtly but crucially different from the brand's more usual social media output, which has tended to showcase complexions airbrushed into impossible perfection. Earlier this summer, cruelty-free label Urban Decay began posting pictures that showed complexions in close-up, pores, stray brows and all.
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| Mazda Bongo Friendee Buying Guide Posted: 03 Sep 2018 06:27 AM PDT  Oddly named MPV was never an official UK import, but its family friendly features and high spec have earned quite a following. It's the Friendee you need…
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| Israel threatens attack on Iranian assets installed in Iraq Posted: 03 Sep 2018 05:21 AM PDT  Israel has threatened to attack any Iranian military assets in Iraq as it has done in Syria, following reports Tehran has moved ballistic missiles closer to the Jewish state. Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's defence minister, signalled on Monday it would "contend" with Iranian provocations wherever they are found. "We are certainly monitoring everything that is happening in Syria, and regarding Iranian threats we are not limiting ourselves just to Syrian territory. This also needs to be clear," Mr Lieberman told a conference in Jerusalem. Asked if this included Iraq, he responded: "I am saying that we will contend with any Iranian threat, and it doesn't matter from where it comes ... Israel's freed." Tehran has transferred dozens of short-range ballistic missiles to Shia proxies in Iraq over the last few months, according to a Reuters report published over the weekend. Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani attends meeting with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran Credit: Anadolu Agency The Zelzal, Fateh-110 and Zolfaqar missiles in question have ranges of 400 miles, putting Tel Aviv within striking distance if the weapons were deployed in southern or western Iraq. The Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has bases in both those areas. "It seems Iran has been turning Iraq into its forward missile base," one Western source said. Israel is technically at war with Iraq, but the two countries have not openly traded blows for decades. Israel has however conducted hundreds of air strikes against arms transfers and deployments by Iran and its Lebanese ally, the Shia Hizbollah militia, fearing the threat across its border. Israeli officials will also be watching political developments in Baghdad with concern. Lebanese soldiers inspect remains of a surface to air missile that landed in the southern Lebanon after being fired by Iranian forces from Syria on the Israeli-occupied Golan Credit: AFP After months of wrangling, two blocs on Monday claimed to hold the majority of seats in parliament and therefore the right to name a prime minister. The bloc of incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has the support of the US, while the bloc of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Badr Organisation militia leader Hadi al-Amiri is backed by Iran. Badr is part of the state apparatus and answers to Iraq's prime minister, but Mr Amiri and other members of the group's leadership frequently meet and consult with Qassem Soleimani, Quds Force commander. A Maliki-Amiri coalition would likely lead Iraq to greater hostilities with Israel. The Kurds, a minority in Iraq, have yet to pick a side but could end up kingmakers. Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat Isil, has been trying to convince the various Kurdish parties to fall in line behind Mr Abadi. Phillip Smyth, Soref fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the Telegraph the Israelis "won't want to see another Iranian-controlled government spring up." "I'd also bet this would worry them more if that also means there's the possibility of continued and more advanced weapons transfers," he said. Richard Baffa, senior defense researcher at the Rand Corporation, warned that escalating tensions between Israeli and Iranian forces have demonstrably increased the risk of a new, large-scale regional conflict. "Tehran's continued provocations and violations of Israel's stated red lines are fueling an escalatory spiral that has the potential to rapidly spin out of control," he wrote.
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| Ruling party leader wants Poland to be like western Europe Posted: 02 Sep 2018 10:04 AM PDT  WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The leader of Poland's conservative ruling party, whose policies have led to clashes with European Union leaders, said Sunday he wants the country to remain in the EU so it can become like western European nations "in every respect."
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| Teen from New Mexico compound says he was trained for jihad: FBI Posted: 01 Sep 2018 06:10 PM PDT  A 13-year-old boy told FBI agents that his mother's boyfriend wanted to "get an army together," court documents show.
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| Trump tweets in defence of Tiger Woods and cites low unemployment rates for African-Americans Posted: 02 Sep 2018 07:32 AM PDT  Donald Trump has tweeted in defence of golfer Tiger Woods after his comments about respecting the office of the presidency and tied it to unemployment rates for African-Americans. Mr Trump wrote Woods showed "great class" when answering a question about his friendship with the president after the Northern Trust golf tournament last week. Woods had said "you have to respect the office [of the US president].
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| Turkey inflation surges to 15-year high in August Posted: 03 Sep 2018 03:11 AM PDT  Turkey reported its highest inflation rate in 15 years Monday fuelled by a spectacular drop in the Turkish lira, as analysts predicted that worse is probably to come. Consumer prices rose 17.9 percent in August from the same month in the previous year --their highest increase since late 2003 -- up from 15.85 percent in July, according to the Turkish statistics office (TUIK), increasing pressure on the central bank to hike interest rates. The highest annual rise in the month was in the cost of transport, up 27.13 percent, while prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks were up 19.75 percent, TUIK said in a statement.
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| Thousands pack huge anti-racism gig as Merkel urges Germans to speak out Posted: 03 Sep 2018 09:36 AM PDT  Tens of thousands of people thronged an anti-racism concert Monday in protest against xenophobic mobs that ran rampage in the city of Chemnitz, as Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to stand up against the far right's message of hate and division. Chemnitz, in former communist Saxony state, was flung into the spotlight as far-right protesters went after foreign-looking people in violent demonstrations last week against the fatal stabbing of a man, allegedly by an Iraqi. Bearing anti-racism posters, many chanted "Nazis out" at the gig, featuring several punk and indie bands under the motto "there are more of us".
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| Kristen Bell Posts Moving Tribute Celebrating Husband Dax Shepard's 14th Year of Sobriety Posted: 03 Sep 2018 05:46 AM PDT  "I will forever be in awe of your dedication," she wrote in part.
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